He looked shocked, and she didn’t blame him.
“Can I come in?” She looked over her shoulder. She was worried that Reid had somehow been able to find out where she was.
She waited for Brennan to say something, but he didn’t. He just stared at her. Then, when she opened her mouth to say something else, he moved forward and pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his arms encircled her waist, holding her tightly. He breathed her in as she tried to hold back the tears. Just being held had never felt this good.
He pulled back and found her lips. He kissed her with a desperation that bordered on delirium. She returned his eager kisses and backed him into the apartment. She wanted this. She wanted him. He was the only thing that had kept her going through the entire ordeal with Reid. Thinking about Brennan had given her a reason to push forward and get away from Reid. She didn’t have to be under Reid’s hold any longer. She was better than that, and Brennan had been the one to show her that.
Devon broke away long enough to shut and lock the door. She wasn’t going to take any chances.
Brennan had his hands back on her immediately, pulling her in and holding her close. “You came back,” he said. “You left, and you came back.”
He walked backward with her down the short hallway and turned into his bedroom. The whole place smelled so much like him that it made her dizzy. Or was she already dizzy? She didn’t know. All she knew was that Brennan felt right.
“I came back,” she repeated.
He bent down and brought their lips together again. She felt like everything that had happened since Reid had returned to her was just a fleeting moment in time. Each kiss from Brennan was healing the wounds, pushing all the hate out of her life. Being there with him was like starting fresh all over again.
“You can’t leave again,” he said when they finally broke apart.
“I’m not going to,” she told him.
“I’m serious, Belle,” he said, brushing his lips against hers again. “Watching you walk out the door was like hearing that my dad had died all over again. I don’t want to let you go.”
“I never wanted to let you go,” she said, swallowing back the tears. “But…I had to for your own safety.”
The tears flowed freely then, and the pounding in her head intensified.
God, it hurts so bad, she thought.
“Shhh,” he said, pulling her into him. “It’s okay. You don’t have to worry about my safety. I can take care of myself. I only worry about you.”
“I didn’t want him to hurt you,” she blubbered through her tears.
“That guy? Your ex?” He really looked at her and examined her swollen eye. “Did he do this to you?” He sounded equal parts shocked and angry.
Well, maybe he was a bit more pissed.
Devon nodded, but that was a bad idea. “I don’t…feel too well,” she said, resting her hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, look at me.” He softly cradled her head in his hands. “What did he do to you? Do you remember?”
“Yeah,” she said, trying to focus on the task at hand.
“Hey, hey, now. Just look at me. Look at me.” He stared into her eyes, looking at them under the light. “Just tell me one thing that happened.”
“He tried to rape me,” she whispered, saying it because it was the one thing that stood out.
Brennan hissed between his teeth as his eyes hardened. He looked murderous. She had never seen him so angry before.
“Anything else?” he said through gritted teeth. “Did he shake you really hard? Or did you hit your head when this happened?” He pointed at her eye.
Did she hit her head? She was having a hard time remembering what happened. She had a foggy thought about a side table. Wait…yes, she had hit a side table. Stars. She had seen a lot of stars.
“I hit the corner of a side table,” she said, her voice slurring.
“Okay.” He scooped her up in his arms before she could collapse. “I think you have a concussion. We should get you to a hospital.”
“I can’t go to a hospital!” she cried hysterically. “He’ll find me!”
“Devon, please let me take care of you.”
“No hospitals!” she repeated.
“You’re not exactly in a condition to argue with me.”
Carrying her over to his bed, with one hand, he pulled the comforter back on his bed and gently placed her down. He grabbed an extra pillow and stuffed it behind her head, so she would be more comfortable for the time being.
“Please,” she said, drawing her knees up to her chest, “I’ll let you take care of me. Just no hospitals.”
Brennan sighed in a way that showed he was going to give in. How could he deny her anything when she was in such a state?
“Alright. I know a thing or two about concussions, but if it gets worse, I’m taking you to the hospital. You might need an MRI to check for brain damage. I’m not going to fuck around with head injuries just because your ex might find you. Deal?” he asked.
“Deal.” She was able to relax now that she knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you some ibuprofen and an ice pack.”
He returned with the medicine and a large glass of water, which she took without complaint. She placed the glass on the nightstand and then leaned back into the bed. He adjusted the ice pack to the back of her head and Devon winced slightly at the tender spot. She already felt much calmer and so comfortable. She just wanted to sleep. Her eyes fluttered closed. It felt nice.
“Hey,” he said, sinking into the bed next to her. “No sleeping just yet. I want to make sure you’re alright.”
“No sleeping. Got it.”
Brennan found her hand and circled his thumb against her palm. “Can you tell me what happened? It might help you stay awake.”
She nodded slowly. She had been planning to tell him that night anyway. Now, she was here, like fate had reasoned that this was their night together. Too bad fate had taken a pretty disastrous turn.
“Yeah. Where should I start?”
“The beginning, I suppose. Wherever is good for you.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. “I’m here for you.”
Devon smiled and started from the beginning, the very beginning. “When I was in high school, I was dating this guy, Mason,” she began. “I’d known him all of my life. His mom was my mom’s best friend. I think they had arranged for us to be married while we were still in the womb. I think it’s how I got my nickname, Dixie.”
“Dixie?” he asked, unable to hold back his chuckle.
Devon nodded. “Mason and Dixie. Mason Dixon. I’m sure you get it.”
“How Southern, Belle,” he said, squeezing her hand lightly.
“Exactly. My mom still calls me Dixie even though I’ve told her a million times that I hate it. Anyway, long story short, Mason and I dated through almost all of high school. I was a cheerleader, and he was the quarterback. I know, big surprise. It’s really cheesy and embarrassing.”
“That sounds like everything in high school.”
Devon smiled faintly. “Yeah. Well, as we grew up, we grew apart. It was only natural. We weren’t the same people anymore. I didn’t want to be a country music singer or Dixie or anything related to my parents’ life, which included him, and he just wasn’t okay with that.”
“I could see that if you had been together all your life,” Brennan said.
“We had this abandoned house that we used to meet up at.” Devon’s cheeks flushed. “I’m sure you can imagine what for. Anyway, I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore. He freaked out and slapped me. I started crying and swore I was going to tell everyone, but he apologized and then freaked out even more. It never happened again, but I think it was part of the reason I chose to go to Wash U,” she whispered. “When Reid hit me the first time, I just thought that he was like Mason …that he wouldn’t do it again, but he did…”